Electrical System Problems of BMW 330 - part 1

While driving on the highway, my vehicle unexpectedly caught fire due to no fault of my own. Upon investigation, it appears the fire originated from a short in the rear window defroster wiring, which led to significant damage in the right rear c-pillar area, headliner, rear window, and rear deck. This event was not only hazardous to my physical safety but also deeply traumatic on a personal level. As someone who suffered severe burns as a child, experiencing a fire while operating a vehicle triggered a powerful emotional response. The trauma of the incident has had a profound impact on my mental health and sense of safety. I have always trusted BMW for its engineering excellence and commitment to safety, which makes this situation even more disheartening because they refuse to fix my vehicle.

See all problems of the 2018 BMW 330 🔎.

I smelt and saw smoke coming from the back of my vehicle. I pulled over on to the left side of [xxx] bound. Then, I jumped out of the car to check the truck. I didn't see anything, then I popped the hood and still did not see anything visible. I then went back to the trunk to check it again, and that is when I saw flames pop out from the back seat area. It was in the area where the back DE-frost wires and some other wires are as well. Thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving, my 2020 BMW 330i suddenly entered “drivetrain limited power” mode, severely restricting acceleration and overall performance. Upon diagnostic review, the cause was found to be a failure of the heat management module (hmm). This created a hazardous situation as the vehicle unexpectedly lost power while merging into highway traffic. Researching online, I’ve discovered numerous reports from other BMW owners experiencing the exact same failure on this model and other recent 3-series vehicles. This component failure is both common and costly, and yet there has been no recall or formal action from BMW to address it. Worse, the hmm is not covered under third-party powertrain warranties because it is considered an electronic part, leaving many owners with unsafe vehicles and no support. Given how widespread this issue appears to be — and the serious safety risk posed by sudden engine power loss — I urge the NHTSA to investigate this component for a potential recall or required manufacturer remedy.

See all problems of the 2020 BMW 330 🔎.

Unknown.

See all problems of the 2004 BMW 330 🔎.

The car has the fast wireless charging tray. I've attached a picture. The case for my phone has a small metal piece on the case. Its a regular case from amazon. The wireless charger works fine, but it's also heating the metal phone cases to the point where it starts a small fire. Its a huge fire risk if you're not careful. We tried another case and we had the same problem.

Failed component: driver side (left) exterior mirror available for inspection: yes safety risk: the mirror does not stay securely unfolded, requiring manual adjustment while driving, which creates a major distraction and increases the risk of an accident. If not manually secured, it shifts unpredictably due to wind resistance at city speeds, creating a dangerous blind spot that makes lane changes and merging hazardous. Glass isn't adjustable with buttons. The heating function is non-operational, which may impact visibility in cold/wet conditions. Problem reproducibility: the issue is persistent. Dealer or independent confirmation: the problem has not been diagnosed by a dealer, but has been check for dtc and there are no faults. Multiple reset attempts have been performed, including idrive reset, manual folding/unfolding, and a BMW battery reset procedure, cls was allowed to shut down fully, with no resolution inspection by manufacturer, police, or insurance: no warning lamps or symptoms prior to failure: none. The mirror was working perfectly before it failed suddenly with no warning signs, noises, or gradual malfunction. No known fault codes prior to the issue. Additional details: the mirror does not respond to electronic adjustments and must be manually repositioned. The glass will not adjust either unless by hand. When fully open or fully folded manually, makes a loud, forceful clunk and becomes slightly harder to move, but can still be adjusted moved with some effort. It opens far past the normal open position. In any other position other than fully extended or fully closed, it moves freely due to any external forces such as wind force while driving or lightly pushing it. The passenger-side mirror functions normally, including folding, heating, and glass adjustment. No obd error codes, warning lights, or system messages have appeared related to the failure. Mirror has not had any physical damage or abuse in any manner.

The vehicle has persistent issues with its software and safety systems, creating significant safety risks. The remote software upgrade feature fails to install, despite indicating it is “ready to install” with preparations complete. This prevents critical updates that could address safety and performance defects. BMW customer support was unable to resolve the issue, and a local dealership confirmed no hardware faults but could not address the software issue due to limitations as a non-BMW-certified service center. Several critical safety features also do not function properly. The blind spot warning system has never issued alerts, leaving the driver unaware of vehicles in adjacent lanes. The forward collision warning system has never activated, even in close proximity to other vehicles. The lane departure warning fails to consistently activate, while lane keeping assistance operates only intermittently, despite being designed to engage above 40 mph. Additionally, the parking collision warning and rear cross traffic warning systems have never provided alerts, even when obstacles or approaching vehicles are present. These malfunctions severely compromise the vehicle’s ability to prevent accidents and ensure safety. The vehicle also intermittently displays drivetrain failure warnings, stating the car can still be driven but should be serviced. Upon inspection, no issues were identified. Consistent fault codes for the active kidney grille shutters appear, but no check engine light is illuminated. These recurring warnings create uncertainty about the vehicle’s reliability and the accuracy of its diagnostics. The combination of these issues places the driver, passengers, and others at risk. A thorough investigation is needed to identify and resolve the root causes. All systems are available for inspection upon request.

Over time, the wiring harness going to the knee air bag(s) can rub against the metal support tubes for the instrument panel, chafing and damaging the wiring. Sib 65 20 22.

My car had been sitting across the street from my house for about 3 weeks after I had gotten it back from the body shop. It had been hit on the drivers side by a drunk driver when parked in front of my house. He took out six cars in a row. Heard a loud noise about 2 am - looked out the window and saw nothing. But then the fire trucks showed up after someone called them when they heard the bang. According to the firemen, it was probably caused by an electrical fire even though there were no visible flames. But the inside was filled with thick gray smoke which also came out of the trunk when they opened it. , the air bag was activated on the driver's side - the windshield was broken and the interior was a melted mess. The dashboard was melted on the driver’s side and the window was blackened. . The drivers side was where the damage had been from the accident. I do not think it coincidence. It seems I am not the only person whose BMW has spontaneously caught on fire. I did get BMW involved as far as sending documentation and talking to a rep. They of course were blameless. They did say they believe it was caused by an error made during a repair that allowed the rain water to get into the wiring. It had been raining hard for a couple days. But they could not say based on what I sent them if it was the body shop that did the most recent repair that made the error or it was done prior to that by another shop. But that they would not be investigating further. My much loved BMW been totaled and I will never what caused it.

See all problems of the 2002 BMW 330 🔎.

All door lock actuators (including the fuel cap door cover) stopped working after driving the vehicle. The passenger and both rear doors were able to open via the inside door handle, but the driver side door could not be unlocked via the key fob, console lock button, or manually pulling the inside door handle. The fuel cap door cover could only be opened via the emergency release pull in the trunk. After inspecting the fuse box, I found that fuse 57a was blown. I replaced the fuse and the locking mechanisms started functioning again. Weeks later the same issue occurred, only replacing the fuses remedied the problem for only a day or two. The fact that the driver's side door could not be opened by any means from inside or outside the vehicle poses a severe safety risk in situations where the driver of the car needs to exit the vehicle themself or be evacuated carefully in the event of injury. There are no warnings, messages or warning signs before this occurs. This appears to be a common issue on my model and others, originating from issues with the door lock actuators. BMW even has a service information bulletin about "si b51 19 07". The fact that the driver-side door can spontaneously become unopenable from inside or outside while the driver is in the car is a huge safety risk.

See all problems of the 2006 BMW 330 🔎.

During normal street and highway driving operation, the whole console and digital warning systems shutdown causing safety issues while driving.

See all problems of the 2017 BMW 330 🔎.

I received a warning on the dashboard that the tires needed inflating and that I should not drive the car over 80 miles per hour. When this happened the communication system on the car failed. I could not use the telephone or the direction feature. I do not know if other parts of the car also failed. When the tires were re inflated, these other features returned. This has happened twice. (in addition the tires needed reinflating on one or two other times. ) BMW offers a courtesy service to reinflate the tires so that they don't maintain a record of the problem and they are unable to add a note to their service record to document the problem. (BMW san francisco).

BMW has issued a recall with no resolution. My engine is making noises from the crankcase and no alternative has been offered at this moment. The dealer does not want to address the issue.

Message on console - " passenger restraint system malfunction ". Took vehicle in for repair; BMW dealership "thinks" it may be a wiring harness electrical short. They evidently need to discuss problem with BMW corporate to figure out to properly diagnose problem and how to repair. My husband and I are very concerned about driving this car even after it may be "so called" repaired. We are concerned that if an accident does occur, and one or more of the airbags do not deploy; there may be serious injury or death to myself, my husband, grandkids, or other passengers.

See all problems of the 2021 BMW 330 🔎.

The contact owned a 2006 BMW 330i. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph the air conditioning unit suddenly shutoff and smoke began to come out of the air conditioning vents. After the contact exited the vehicle flames were present coming from under the passenger side dashboard. The fire and police departments were called to the scene and the flames were extinguished. During the incident the vehicle was destroyed. A fire and police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The local dealer was notified of the incident. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 190,000.

The car started to make a popping noise and then the collision warning light, steering light and pedestrian warning lights came on and the steering became very tight. The electric steering became manual. Yes problem has been reported to braman BMW jupiter as well as BMW USA.

Engine wiring is made of soy products with attracts rodents to feed and destroy the wiring. When this occurs it puts the driver ad passengers in danger because certain functions such as brake light, headlights and windshield wipers may not work properly. This is becasue when the wiring is compromised , circuits are broken which causes the vehicle's systems connected to that circuit to partially or completely fail, rending a vehicle partially or completely inoperable. The vehicle was inspected the the BMW dealership service center and they confirmed it was rodent damage . Geico insurance also inspected the vehicle. The vehicle started to restrict engine performance and the engine service light came on stating there was a drive tran malfunction.

Two hours after I got to work one of my coworkers came running in the backroom, and told me my car was on fire.

Driving at 40mph an alert error for steering and braking warning came up and stalled the car to zero mph. A review of other internet complaints on BMW owners was similar. Why is this not a recall?.

Going through my newly purchased, used 2006 330xi, I found several warnings for front headlight malfunctions. Further investigation showed adaptive functions were disabled and the left low beam was stuck pointing left. While the bulbs themselves were still functioning, the light was pointed directly at oncoming traffic and did not illuminate the road in front of me. Opening the access panel at the rear of the headlight assembly showed multiple bare wires inside of the sealed housing, the insulation had simply started to flake off of the wires rendering all centering and leveling functions of the light inoperable. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2001 BMW 330i. The contact stated that an indicator light had appeared on his instrument panel indicating that his rear taillights were inoperative. Upon investigation. The contact discovered a service bulletin(sib630611) which he linked to his failure. The dealer was then notified of the service bulletin and the dealer informed him that his vehicle was not manufactured during the eligible period for repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and gave the contact the same information as the dealer; he was then referred to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

See all problems of the 2001 BMW 330 🔎.

E90 BMW reverse light stop working do to car computer system fault, this poses a high risk when vehicle is in reverse other driver are not notified. This can cause a potential accident.

After reading many forum questions and answers my vehicle problem is the gm5 module. This module controls a wide selection of electrical function on this car. The function that is at issue is the central locking/unlocking function initiated by the key, key fob or locking control button on the console. By researching online it is apparent that the BMW e46 model has had a long period that this module has been a problem and they have not done anything to remedy the issue. This faulty module (gm-5) will leave you locked out of your car and or once inside not allow any other doors to open by any means. This can be a very dangerous if you may be threatening situation. The manufacturer know this is a problem as it spans years of production. I am just reporting the most recent incident, this has been an ongoing problem. We happen to keep our cars along time and this is an expensive and frustrating problem.

The interior wires of the BMW e46 headlight assemblies have insulation material that readily breaks off of the wire, causing the bear wire conductor to be visible. This results in a failure of the headlights as the wires conductors are allowed to touch. This is also a possible source of a vehicle fire.

Having a problem with my gm5 module which controls locking/ unlocking doors, windshield wipers and interior lights. Got stranded today because I could not unlock my car. The key fob wouldn't unlock it and even using the key in the door didnt work. This is a big safety problem.

The automatic liftgate would close all of a sudden when I'm reaching for item(s) deep in the cargo area. I was told by the dealer that since my feet are under the hands-free/ kick sensor for the automatic lift gate that that would activate it. However, the liftgate would also open or close when I'm not under the sensor such as filling up for gas or putting the car cover on. Fortunately, this only happens when the car is stationary. This problem has occurred since purchase in 2018, but dealer service has not been able to duplicate the situation.

Air bag. Warning sensor,adaptive headlights warning,power steering leaking,brakes clumping,blower heater motor and module had to replace.

Complete loss of power, shut car off for a few minutes, when tryi g to restart vehicle noticed zero power to any components.

My car was just sitting in my driveway and my roommate noticed she said is there is your car supposed to be on fire and we went out there had to break the windows and it was already on fire and totally ruined from any repair. I didn't receive a recall until a year after it had already caught on fire. The car is totaled in my backyard. And is beyond repair because of the fire.

My car had been sitting unused since 6:00pm the previous day. At 6:30am I had entered my car parked at pacific coast highway and anaheim street in long beach,CA. (which is a surface street). I started my car then drove a half of a block then stopped and turned off my car at the store 7/11. I went in made a purchase came out my car. I started my car and then left 7-eleven driving down anaheim about . 2-. 3 miles. I came to the light at anaheim street and park. Both surface streets. I was in the turn lane to turn left onto park. I began smelling something electrical. The time was 6:40 am. I leaned my head out the window and could not smell the electrical smell outside. I discerned that this was coming from inside the car. There was no visible reason for the smell at this time. The light changed I turned left onto park. As I began to turn left white to grey smoke began coming out of the driver side vent which is lower by door and that faces the driver. I got out of my car. I ran over to another vehicle to see if they had a fire extinguisher. He said he would find it. I returned to my car and black smoke began rolling out of the drivers side door. Flames began engulfing the dashboard. Two gentleman came over, one with a fire extinguisher and began spraying into the dashboard. The other gentleman went around to the trunk and disconnected the battery. The last time I had something done to the vehicle was BMW replacing the airbag for a recall. There was no reason for the fire.

All exterior lights comes on when the car is off, and now the car stays on when the key out out of the ignition. The recall was fixed before about the lights but they started back again I just got the car and I can't even drive it without the battery dying if I go to work or even the store.

See all problems of the 2003 BMW 330 🔎.

I have a 2006 BMW 330i e90, the VIN# is wbavb33586ps17978. My pcv valve has failed and absolutely melted through. The plastic housing is entirely melted, and the electrical connector and wires are melted through. Luckily I live in colorado and it is very cold here in February and the car did not catch on fire. I started doing research on the internet on the part and found BMW recall 17v-683. I found the attached recall document and highlighted the relevant section in green, where on page 11 ( or page 1 of the faq section) it says the recall is for e90 models produced starting in July 2006; my car was produced June 13, 2006. I called BMW customer service center and was told that my car was not in the recall and it was a coincidence that the exact same part melted, as what was being recalled for cars built only two weeks later. I don't think so. How can BMW say that because my car was built two weeks prior that they know for a fact, that a good pcv valve was installed in my car? what we do know is that the bad pcv valves are melting. And I can certainly prove that mine has melted. So, a responsible company would see this as a safety concern and not a coincidence. I guess we will see how BMW handles but since they now have documented proof that this issue affected a vehicle built prior to July, I urge them to change the recall date from July 2006 to June 2006. Beside me wanting my car repairs covered, there could be other 2006 vehicles built mid-June that will have this issue and seeing the amount of melting this did to my car, it could cause a fire in the vehicle and cause harm to innocent people. I am more than happy to take the car to a BMW dealership for them to confirm the failed/melted pcv valve. I just want my car fixed and the recall date change to June 2006 from July 2006, so that others are made aware of the danger.

The smell of electircal fire and thick black smoke poored out the left side of my stearing colum. Flames started to shoot out and enguffed my BMW to nothing!.

Tl the contact owns a 2006 BMW 330i. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 17v676000 (electrical system) by BMW bay ridge (6223 2nd avenue, brooklyn, NY 11220); however, the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted, but could not be reached. The failure mileage was unknown.

Ground wire to twilights can't handle current and therefore blows out and triggers the light control module which makes the headlights flicker and die prematurely and causes lights on the dash that are in accurate.